The Neepawa Natives are pleased to announce that they have signed Jory Coates - a 6 foot 6, 220 pound native of Glenboro, Manitoba.

 

Coates, who spent the first half of the year with last season's Natives, spent the second half of the winter toiling for Pembina Valley of the MMJHL.

 

After a promising start to the season in 2009, The Natives gave Coates an opportunity to go to Pembina Valley to play with the perennially strong Twisters program.

 

"Jory was not playing enough here," said Natives coach Bryant Perrier. "He is a player with great potential and it just wasn't fair. Even though we needed him around, we decided that he should do what is best and that is to go MMJHL and get lots of minutes."

 

Six months, 38 games, 18 additional pounds and a league championship series run later, and Coates is back as a living example of what can happen when a player plays quality minutes and puts development first.

 

"Jory's skating really improved this season, he has put on close to 20 pounds, and we really believe he can be a positive part of things around here," Perrier added.

 

At spring camp, Coates played at forward and impressed with his long reach and head for the game.

 

Perrier says that he and Coates have discussed next season, and that there is "no question that Jory is willing to do what it takes to be a part of things here."

 

Expected to play at 225 pounds this season, Perrier believes that Coates will be thrive as a forward.

 

He is also quick to note that Coates being an early signing is a message that the organization is looking to reward players who do things the right way.

 

"Jory did all the right things," the coach said. "He has trained hard, put on weight, and he humbled himself by going back down to MMJHL when he could have stayed here and gotten less ice than he needed. His humility has been rewarded and we are all pulling for him."

 

Perrier is also quick to note that Coates possesses very good skills and has great potential.

 

"This is a player who had close to 70 points as a defenceman in his final year of high school. He can play. We won a lot of games last year with him taking a regular shift. This year he will be a completely different player with the work he has done."